Gravity toy.



J. c. TuRNR.

GRAVITY TOY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, \917.

1,290,417. Patented Jan. 7,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- UUUUDDU 13 elk/tome J. C. TURNER.

GRAVITY TOY. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29. 19 11.

vm QK Patented Jan. 7,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 El wue/wlioz m C. M attorney m. noun! "mum. rnarnurnm.wanin -m". a. Q

"unirnn STATES PATENT omit-on JOHN G. TURNER, or DAYTQN, onto, nssrsivono Jenn c. m nivan vovnn'r r 00., 9F DAYTQN, QHIO, A C0R15701AT1QN OF@1110- GRAVITY TOY,

Specification of Letters I'atent.

App ication as M r h 2 nu ser a No- 158,180.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. TURNER, a citizen of the United States, andresiding at ay ny n he c unty f M ntgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and Improved Gravity Toy, of which the followingspecification is a full disclosure. 7

This invention relates to toys and. it deals more especially with suchtoys as are gravi tatively propelled, particularly as a gravity railroadin which the cars travel through their descent along an inclinedtrack.

The primary object of this invention is to create and render ivailablevery simple structure embodying an inclined track of an apparentlyendlessarrangement together with an entertaining mechanism for causingthe cars to reach their elevation by a simple manual operation. j A

This invention has generally an objective. The idea of utilizing astation housc for the double purpose of affording a stopping.

point at which the cars will automatically halt and for also concealingthe mechanism for elevating the cars from the lowest point of the trackto the highest point, thereby giving to the cars the effect of runninginto the station and shortly thereafter proceediifg again on theirjourney.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawings and inpart indicated in connection therewith by the following analysis of thisinvention.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of parts, and in the unique relations of the members and inthe relative proportionings and disposition thereof; all as morecompletely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art so fully to comprehend theunderlying features thereof that they may embody the same by thenumerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by thisinvention, drawings depicting a preferred form have been annexed as apart of this disclosure, and in such drawings, like characters of.reference denote corresponding parts throughout all the views of whichFigure 1 is a plan of an elliptical track combined with a station-houseconcealing its respective upper and lower ends. Fig.

2 is an elevation showing how the elliptical inclined track enters andleaves the stationhouse and relatlon therewith. Flg. 3 1s a view of theinterior construction of the sta tion-house with the mechanism forelevating the Gers- Fig. 4 is a section along 4l-4 of Fig. and Fig. 5 isa detail showing the means for tilting the elevator platform to startthe cars down the track.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates an inclosnre simulating arailroad stationhouse, 13 denotes a helical track which beginsendswithin the station-house and C denot a gravity r f any s r d o t tlolr i he track 13 consists of anumber of identical sections eachinterfitted together and each supported by a trestle 14 preferablyformedof asingle wire havinga fairly large base to prgvide forsufficient stability. The rails 12 and 13 of the track at their highestends. rest 011 a platform 15 which is outturned from the side 18 ofthesheet metal house, an the oth r end of. s id a ls es one similarplatform 16 outturned from .21 are bridged by strips 24: to brace them,

and to also furnish an anchorage for the roof portlon 22 whlch carriestransverse strips 23 adapted to rest upon the aforesaid strips 2 1.

Extending across the upper edges of the wall portions 20 and 21 is aguide 25 in the nature of a bracket which is perforated to receive a U-shaped member 35 providing two side guide rods which at their lowerends are anchored into the base 17. These rods guide the car elevatorwhich is constructedas follows:

An open frame 32 is formed of sheet metal and provides upper and lowerguide strips which are provided with elongated slots 33 and 34,respectively, said slots being arranged in offset relation, as indicatedby Fig. 5, so as to enable the frame 32 to tilt from its verticalposition when depressed (as shown in full lines by Fig. 3) to itsinclined position as shown in dotted lines by Fig. 3. This frame 32carries two tracks 30 and 31 which are adapted to rest on the base 17 inalinement with the lower ends ofthe tracks 12 and 13. A cord 38 extendsover a pulley 36 and i connected to the frame 32, and

Patented Jan. '7, 1919.

this cord extends also over a pulley 37 and terminates in a ring 39 sothat it can be grasped readily near one end of the sta tion-house sothat the elevator can be uplifted and permitted to tilt owing to theWeight of the car being located on its forward end, as shown by Fig. 3.This permits the car .to gravitate out of the stationhouse onto thetrack B, and to automatically make a return trip ready to be received bythe elevator which in the meantime has been permitted to descend.

It will thus be seen that by means of a very simple and inexpensivestructure a neat and attractive toy has been produced. lVithout furtheranalysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this inventionthat others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it forvarious applications without omitting certain features that, from thestandpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristicsof the generic or specific aspects of this invention', and thereforesuch adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within themeaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

Having thus revealed this invention, I claim as new and desirev to"secure the fol- Gopies oi! this patent may be obtained for the UnitedStates l. A gravity railroad combining a helical track; a station-househaving open ends connected to the ends of said track; a track sect-ionadapted to rest on the floor of said station-house to receive a car; aguide for said track section located in oflset relation to the car toautomatically incline said section upon being uplifted; and a cord andpulley means for uplifting said section.

2. A gravity railroad combining a helical track composed of a pluralityof interfitting sections each independently supported by its base; astation-house connected to the ends of said track; a car adapted togravitate along said track; a track section within said station-houseadapted to receive said car; and pulley mechanism for uplifting saidtrack section to discharge said car onto the upper end of said track.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name, as attested by the twosubscribing Witnesses.

JOHN C. TURNER.

Witnesses B. COOKIE, N. SCHWARTZ.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

